Imperial Commander, left, and Kauto Star fought out a famous battle over Haydock's fences last season. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/PA

Officials at Haydock remain "totally committed to jump racing", the racecourse's managing director, Dickon White, insisted yesterday as the track faced continued criticism following the unexpected abandonment, due to frost, of Saturday's Champion Hurdle Trial meeting.

Donald McCain, who had hoped to run Peddlers Cross, a leading contender for the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, suggested in an interview that the course's executives "seem to be losing interest in National Hunt racing", and that they "did not make enough effort to keep this very valuable meeting on".

However, White said yesterday that, while he could "understand Donald's frustration", jumping remains a vital part of Haydock's racing programme.

"Our hearts are totally in jump racing and it's a bit disappointing when people question that," White said. "We've invested more money into jumping this year than we've probably ever done before and our commitment to jump racing should never be questioned.

"It's been a very tough winter for us, we've lost our last three race-meetings, so we were as disappointed as anyone. For the last 10 days leading up to the meeting, we would have had no problems at all. It was a freak of nature and nobody was more disappointed than us."

Peddlers Cross will now complete his preparation for the Champion Hurdle on Saturday week, though the venue has yet to be decided. The Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las and the Contenders Hurdle at Sandown, where Binocular is a likely opponent, are both under consideration.

"We'll enter him in both and we don't have to make decision straight away," McCain said. "We'll just go wherever we feel is best for him.

"We'll have to take Binocular on again at some point. He's the benchmark and I'm just delighted to have two horses [Peddlers Cross and Overturn] capable of competing with him."

Tony McCoy, Binocular's jockey, said that he expects Hurricane Fly to be his major rival in the Champion Hurdle on 15 March. "You'd be struggling to pick any holes in him," McCoy said on At The Races. "He's won over two and a half miles, he's got pace, he goes on any ground, so he's got the lot. He hasn't been to Cheltenham before, but I don't think it makes that much difference. If they're that good, they can normally win anywhere.

"There's Peddler's Cross and Menorah in there, too, and it will be an exciting Champion Hurdle if they all get there."

Time For Rupert, the favourite for the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, is one of 10 entries for the Argento Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday, when he will step out of novice company for the first time in a race that is seen as a trial for the Gold Cup. Tidal Bay, the 2008 Arkle Trophy winner, and Madison Du Berlais, who took the Hennessy Gold Cup later that year, are among his possible opponents.